Public rest room cleaning system

ABSTRACT

A public rest room is automatically washed, rinsed, sanitized and dried by nozzles strategically placed for directing appropriate fluids in sequential fashion over every area of the wall and floor surface of the room and into effective contact with the wash and toilet facilities in the room with the nozzles being supplied with wash, rinse, sanitizing and drying fluids from appropriate reservoirs and supplies through valved conduit means disposed along the walls of the room. The cleaning system may be installed in existing public rest rooms; in addition, the room may be a self-contained structure that may be placed adjacent an erected building or permanently installed in a building, such as a gasoline service station. The cleaning system contains the nozzle arrangement and attendant operating structure and components as a built-in adjunct to its operation and maintenance.

[451 July 3, 1973 Primary Examinerl-lenry K. Artis Attorney-Brenner.O'Brien & Guay [57] ABSTRACT A public rest room is automatically washed,rinsed, sanitized and dried by nozzles strategically placed fordirecting appropriate fluids in sequential fashion over every area ofthe wall and floor surface of the room and into effective contact withthe wash and toilet facilities in the room with the nozzles beingsupplied with wash, rinse, sanitizing and drying fluids from appropriatereservoirs and supplies through valved conduit means disposed along thewalls of the room. The cleaning system may be installed in existingpublic rest rooms; in addition, the room may be a self-containedstructure that may be placed adjacent an erected building or perma-United States Patent [1 1 Bernardi PUBLIC REST ROOM CLEANING SYSTEM [75]Inventor: Eugene P. Bernardi, Harrisburg, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Bernardi Bros., Inc., Harrisburg, Pa.

[22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1970 [2]] App]. No.: 88,554

[52] US. 4/1, 4/145 [51] Int. A47k 17/00 [58] Field ofSearch.................... 4/1, 145, 146, 2-5,

4/173; 134/167 R, 168 R, 169 R; 137/6254? [56] References Cited UNlTEDSTATES PATENTS e r u .W F g .m w v m D lmllllil harfl up 1 1 edmfl l rl1 l .12 6 a L S 3 l 1| T P l. 4 O l. i l h 3, C 8

nently installed in a building, such as a gasoline service station. Thecleaning system contains the nozzle arrangement and attendant operatingstructure and components as a built-in adjunct to its operation andmaintenance.

a W 2 Ia v m m m 111 ad "in fvpri O flU 7 HWMBKH 2 00000899 667256999999 HHHHHH 2530 229 700 7 57 630074 PAIENTEDJUL 3 ma mvsmon EUGENE PBERNARDI ATTORN EYS 1 PUBLIC REST ROOM CLEANING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generallyappertains to improvements in cleaning systems and especially relates tonew and novel improvements in a system for automatically cleaningenclosed areas and articles contained therein, most particularly publicrest rooms and the wash and toilet facilities disposed therein.

2. Description of the Prior Art The presence of unsightly and unsanitarypublic rest rooms, especially in gasoline service stations, is so wellknown and the existence of which has become so general, as of late, thatno considerable elaboration need by given to the problem to which nosolution has become apparent. In the latter regard, the only solution isthe ancient one of employing efficient manual labor on an inspectionschedule to clean the rooms and the facilities therein. Unfortunately,present economic and sociological conditions all but negate theemployment of competent and reliable workmen to maintain such publicrooms in sanitary and attractive condition.

Attempts to eliminate the need for utilizing manual labor in effectingcleaning operations of such rooms by providing automatic cleaningsystems have not been fruitful. One such cleaning system is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 3,381,312, wherein cleaning implements are stored in theceiling of a bathroom above the toilet facilities and are automaticallylowered relative to the facilities and then rendered operative todistribute washing and rinsing fluids to the facilities and thenreturned to their storage places while suction hoses function to removeany water accumulation on the floor around the facilities and a heaterand fan operate to circulate drying air through the bathroom.

Such bathroom cleaning system may function fine in public buildingshaving large bathrooms housing a considerable number of toiletfacilities and where it is only desired or necessary, due to amplemanual labor, just to clean the toilet facilities in an automatic mannerwith manual labor being able to clean the remainder of the bathroom.Even so, such system for primarily cleaning the toilet facilities isonly a partial answer to the problem. And such partial solution would beto no avail because the cost of installation and operation thereof, dueto its complex nature, would be so high as to economically preclude itsinstallation and use in public rest rooms in service stations, smallrestaurants and the like privately owned establishments dedicated toserving the public.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is summarized in that acleaning system for cleaning the interior of a room enclosure equippedwith toilet facilities without the employment of manual labor includes apipe network arranged over portions of the inner wall structure of theenclosure, nozzle units carried by the pipe network within the interiorof the enclosure, to unit fluids onto all parts of the enclosure, andinput means connected to the pipe network for sequentially conveyingcleaning fluids to the pipe network for emission therefrom by the nozzleunits.

The purpose of the present invention is to ensure that public rest roomsor any bathroom facility, for that matter, are maintained in clean,sanitary and aesthetically appealing condition without necessitating theexpenditure of manual labor to accomplish this directly.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to construct anautomatically functioning, dependable, reliable and economicallypractical and efficient system for washing, rinsing, sanitizing anddrying the entire and overall inner surface of a rest room and withparticular emphasis on the wash and toilet facilities therein.

The present invention has a further object in that a self-contained roomstructure may be permanently installed as a functioning unit in abuilding and which is equipped with built-in plumbing fixtures, such aswash bowl, toilet and urinal, and which has a built-in integer of anautomatically operating spray nozzle and piping arrangement fordirecting in a strategic and sequential manner over the wall and floorsurfaces and into and over the plumbing fixtures effective sprays ofwash, rinse, sanitizing and drying fluids from appropriate supplysources provided as operating adjuncts to the maintenance and consequentproper operation of the rest room unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The accompanying drawing contains aperspective view, partly broken away and shown in section, of a roomstructure that exemplarily typifies a selfcontained rest room inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention, especially withregard to the automatic cleaning system which is shown structurally inperspective and also shown mainly diagrammatically.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto the accompanying drawing, the numeral 10 generally designates a roomenclosure which is a self-contained structure constructed and adapted tobe permanently installed in a building so as to function therein as apublic rest room or, at least, as a bathroom, for example if installedin a dwelling not given to serving the public.

The room enclosure 10 is molded or formed from fiber glass which has aninner hardgel surface. The enclosure is composed of walls 12, a ceilingand a floor 14, with the latter being pitched toward a drain area 16.One or more of the walls is provided with an ingress and egress door 18.The room enclosure is provided with built-in plumbing fixtures that areoperatively oriented along one side wall 20 and include a wash bowl 22and a commode 24. Also, a urinal 26 is preferably positioned alonganother side wall 28. Of course, such provision and placement of thefacilities is merely exemplary and the room enclosure is shown in itssimplest form devoid of any partition walls and any customaryfurnishings.

Built into the walls of the room enclosure, as by being molded thereinin the instance of plastic piping or by being integrally associated withthe exterior surface of the walls thereof, is a series of pipes 30. Thepipes are laid out in a series pattern along the side walls and inadjacency to the ceiling with the pipes being adapted to convey commonlyvarious fluids into the interior of the room enclosure. The particulardesign placement of the pipes is not of importance and some of the pipescan pass over the ceiling, if desired. It is important that a network ofpiping be established to ensure a minimum amount of pipe with a maximumamount of coverage in the distribution of fluids into the interior ofthe room enclosure.

In the latter regard, a number of rotating nozzle units 32 are providedwith the nozzle units being rotatably attached to offset pipe ends 34 onthe pipes and being of a nature so that fluid emitted from the nozzleimparts a rotational force to the nozzle heads attached to the pipe ends34. The nozzle units are placed in a minimum strategic arrangement sothat fluid sprays therefrom impinge on the entire inner wall and floorsurface of the room enclosure 10. Thus, certain of the nozzle units, aspartly shown, will be on opposite walls and will have their jetsdirected so as to spray up and down all over the opposing wall. Theceiling and floor will also be effectively sprayed.

Certain nozzle units 36 will overlie the wash bowl, toilet and urinal,as shown, so that such facilities will have fluid sprays directedpositively thereon and therein, ensuring positive direct treatment beinggiven to such plumbing facilities.

The floor drain area 16 is formed with a drain outlet 38 that is incommunication with a stand pipe 40 whereby fluids from the nozzles arecarried off from the drain area after effectively flowing down the wallsand over the floor.

Preferably, the nozzle units will sequentially emit a washing fluid, arinsing fluid, a sanitizing fluid and then a drying fluid. Such sequencecan be of an automatic timed nature or can be the result of manualoperation of suitable controls for operating equipment which constitutesmaintenance adjuncts in association with the room enclosure 10.

In this respect, water from a main water supply is carried by a mainwater supply pipe 42 to a motor driven pump 44, which in someinstances-where the water supply pressure is high enough may beeliminated. Usually though the pump will be required to develop andmaintain the necessary water pressure. The output line 46 of the pumpcommunicates with a four-way valve 48 which can be manually operated orcan be automatically controlled by a motor driven timer mechanism inconsort with the operation of the pump.

In one position of the valve 48, the water output from the pump or, atleast, from the supply pipe 42 in the absence of the pump, passesthrough a line 50 which carries a detergent reservoir 52 with the water,as it passes through the line 50, becoming admixed with detergent sothat wash fluid is carried to the main input line 54 downstream from thevalve and in direct communication with the piping 30.

In another position of the valve 48, clear water passes through thevalve from the pump or directly from the water supply line 42 to themain input line 54 which operation constitutes the rinse cycle.

In another position of the valve 48, wherein the pump is out ofoperation or the line 46 is closed off, the input line 54 is incommunication with the output line 56 of an air compressor 58. In suchposition, air is carried to the nozzle units 32 and 36. When the airline 56 is in operation, the passing air picks up a metered quantity ofsanitizing fluid from the reservoir 60 connected by a metering andcloseoff valve 62 to the air line 56. The reservoir 60 can be closed offso that only air is conveyed to the nozzle units 32 and 36.

While the air compressor is shown in communication with the valve andpiping arrangement as the source of drying air currents, such can bereplaced by a motor driven blower in communication with the roomenclosure directly or through the piping and nozzle units. Also, ifnecessary, the air, in either instance, can be heated. However, thismost probably would not be necessary because of the good drainageconditions.

While the room enclosure is shown and described as a self-sufficientexpressly formed and fabricated unit, it can be appreciated that thecleaning system, as shown and described, can be installed for excellentoperation in existing rest rooms, especially since the majority of suchrooms have tiled walls and floor drains, with the latter being the onlyreal important factor. And even then, if the room has adequate drainagethrough a door or the like, the absence of a floor drain will not bedetrimental to the operation of the system.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations,modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all mattercontained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic system for cleaning a room enclosure, having ceilingand floor members joined by wall means, and bathroom facilitiescontained therein, the combination comprising,

a pipe network adapted to be secured to the room enclosure,

said pipe network having an inlet and a plurality of fixed outlets,

a plurality of rotatable nozzles, one for each outlet, fixed to saidoutlets in said spaced relation to each other,

said plurality of rotatable nozzles including first and second nozzlegroups being rotatable on first and second axes, respectively, saidfirst and second axes being generally perpendicular to each other,whereby fluid from said rotatable nozzles is sprayed against allsurfaces of the ceiling and floor members and the wall means, as well asthe bathroom facilities,

a drain area adapted to be fixed in the floor member and having a drainoutlet therein,

fluid input means connected to said inlet, and

a multiposition valve in said fluid input means having a first positionfor conveying a washing fluid to said inlet, a second position forconveying a rinsing fluid to said inlet, and a third position forconveying a drying fluid to said inlet whereby all surfaces of theceiling and floor members and the wall means as well as the bathroomfacilities are washed, rinsed and dried by fluids from the rotatablenozzles.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said fluid input meansincludes a sanitizing fluid control valve adapted for operation during aselective portion of operation when said multiposition valve is in itsthird position whereby a sanitizing fluid is conveyed to the saidsurfaces.

3. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein the washing fluid is amixture of water and detergent, the rinsing fluid is water, and thedrying fluid is air.

4. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and secondaxes are perpendicular to each other.

5. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein one of said first andsecond axes is normal to said wall means.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said room enclosure is aself-contained unit.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said pipe network is intimatelyformed in association with the enclosure unit.

8. The invention of claim 6 wherein said unit is fabricated from fiberglass.

1. In an automatic system for cleaning a room enclosure, having ceilingand floor members joined by wall means, and bathroom facilitiescontained therein, the combination comprising, a pipe network adapted tobe secured to the room enclosure, said pipe network having an inlet anda plurality of fixed outlets, a plurality of rotatable nozzles, one foreach outlet, fixed to said outlets in said spaced relation to eachother, said plurality of rotatable nozzles including first and secondnozzle groups being rotatable on first and second axes, respectively,said first and second axes being generally perpendicular to each other,whereby fluid from said rotatable nozzles is sprayed against allsurfaces of the ceiling and floor members and the wall means, as well asthe bathroom facilities, a drain area adapted to be fixed in the floormember and having a drain outlet therein, fluid input means connected tosaid inlet, and a multiposition valve in said fluid input means having afirst position for conveying a washing fluid to said inlet, a secondposition for conveying a rinsing fluid to said inlet, and a thirdposition for conveying a drying fluid to said inlet whereby all surfacesof the ceiling and floor members and the wall means as well as thebathroom facilities are washed, rinsed and dried by fluids from therotatable nozzles.
 2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein saidfluid input means includes a sanitizing fluid control valve adapted foroperation during a selective portion of operation when saidmultiposition valve is in its third position whereby a sanitizing fluidis conveyed to the said surfaces.
 3. The invention as recited in claim 1wherein the washing fluid is a mixture of water and detergent, therinsing fluid is water, and the drying fluid is air.
 4. The invention asrecited in claim 1 wherein said first and second axes are perpendicularto each other.
 5. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein one ofsaid first and second axes is normal to said wall means.
 6. Theinvention of claim 1 wherein said room enclosure is a self-containedunit.
 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said pipe network isintimately formed in association with the enclosure unit.
 8. Theinvention of claim 6 wherein said unit is fabricated from fiber glass.